The invention relates, in general, to a vertical support for use with a chair or other article of furniture and in particular to a soft, resilient, removable support particularly adapted for use as a leaning support cushion by passengers traveling in vehicles.
Providing comfort to passengers who must endure long periods of time in a vehicle while traveling is a goal that has thus far escaped practical solution. It is common for passengers, and especially children, to become tired during such trips. Frequently, these passengers tend to lean against the doors, windows and even other passengers in an attempt to attain a comfortable position. Common bench-type seats and even so-called "bucket" type seats do not provide adequate lateral support for sideways leaning. Leaning against windows and/or doors is unsatisfactory due to the hardness of those surfaces and the tendency to bounce against the surfaces as a result of the normal jarring of the vehicle while in transit, as well as during acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle. Placing a pillow or similar object against the window or door provides some relief against the hardness of the surface, however, the continual jarring of the doors and window during transit prevents from the passenger from attaining any significant level of comfort.
The difficulty of attaining a comfortable position is even greater for small children because their heads often do not reach the top of the vehicle seat back. Thus, there is no support for the head and this creates considerable lateral instability if the child should fall asleep and slump over. Even if the child or adult is restrained by a seat belt and shoulder strap, the head will tilt sideways for a very uncomfortable position if the passenger falls asleep.
Several attempts have been made to provide devices capable of increasing the comfort of passengers while traveling in vehicles. U.S. Pat. No. 2,983,310 discloses a headrest that is attached to a vehicle seat and functions in the nature of a pillow. The headrest comprises a cushion that is filled with a resilient material such as foam rubber. This device provides a comfortable surface upon which the passenger can rest his or her head, however, no lateral or other support is provided for the upper torso of the body. U.S. Pat. No. 3,601,445 provides a portable headrest for use by passengers in automobiles, buses and the like. Suctions cups attached to the inner surface of the window support a base upon which a cushion is mounted. The cushion is adjustable to several different positions, ranging from an incline to a fully horizontal plane, according to the preference of the user. This device also provides support only for the head and neck area and does not offer support for any other parts of the body. When using these devices, the movement of the head of the passenger is restricted to that small area covered by the headrest, which can result in discomfort and stiffness to the body and neck of the user.
It is desired to provide a device that will present a comfortable surface upon which a passenger may lean, and further to provide a surface that is resilient and capable of being moved to different positions in the vehicle seat. Additionally, it is desired to provide this device at a low cost. Also, it is desired to provide a device of the type described that is portable and lightweight so that it may be easily inserted and removed from a vehicle according to the preference of the passenger.